A number of designs of electronically fired explosive-propulsion projectile weapons and non-explosive projectile weapons have been developed that have some similarities to 18th-century volley guns, particularly in that they use many barrels which can be fired all at once or in sequence. Various forms of the weapon have been designed, including aircraft-mounted guns firing downward, man-portable artillery packs and defensive applications, such as ship-based anti-missile defense systems.
Although these designs are effective for their intended purpose, they are limited to the use of a specific munitions manufactured in a specific caliber, which is typically intended to be lethal. Given the current mandate to lessen civilian casualties in military operations, prepare for the enemy's use of non-combatants as protective shields, and protect in-theater buildings during urban conflicts, military forces need a combination of both non-lethal and lethal munitions. Vessels need to be able to determine the intent of oncoming watercraft without causing casualties and respond when hostile intent is determined. Similarly, ground forces need to be able to separate combatants from non-combatants, escalate force as necessary, and enhance force protection while operating vehicle check points and entry control points, and during convoy security operations.
Conventional approaches to addressing this problem of intent determination require separate launch platforms for each type of munitions (non-lethal and lethal in various calibers). This creates challenges with providing training, supplies, and space for multiple launch platforms that each use different munitions.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved universal tube launched munitions system that uses a variety of non-lethal and lethal munitions in multiple calibers. In this regard, the various embodiments of the present invention substantially fulfill at least some of these needs. In this respect, the universal tube launched munitions system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing a single munitions launcher that can launch a variety of munitions in multiple calibers.